In today’s Internet Retailing newsletter, the emphasis is on bringing together the high street and online. It’s a theme recurs in stories from the Kingfisher Group’s move to invest heavily online while finding ways to reduce the size of its stores. It’s there in Nightline’s news of a locker bank network that’s expanding fast, driven by consumer appetite for convenient deliveries, and it’s in the launch of the Appear Here online marketplace, which helps bring together retailers, and potential retailers, with pop-up shop spaces. It’s also relevant to the story of how Blockbuster is now primed for a multichannel future under new ownership.
Today we also have news from eBay, as it aims to get closer to high street customer service, and from Vouchercloud on its international expansion.
Webinars
We have some upcoming webinars to tell you about. Take part by registering for the free events on our webinar page.
Laster this month, Ian Harris, chief executive of Search Laboratory will join us for a session on Demystifying Organic Search for Retailers. The event, which runs from 11am on March 28, will give a helping hand to retailers in developing natural search strategies that work. It will look at best-practice examples of search, highlight no-no’s and give action points for retailers to improve their own search marketing. Find more and register for the event here.
On April 11, at 4pm, the focus is on tag management, in How to Win with Tag Management: Strategies for Achieving Business and Marketing Agility. The event, which features QuBit’s CMO Ian McCaig and technology partnerships manager Harry Hurst, will look at how tag management works, what its benefits are, and how to use it to best advantage. Find more and register here.
And on April 18, at 11am, we’re joined by Will Cook, VP of multichannel at HP Autonomy and Colin McFarland, head of group CEM at Shop Direct, for a session on Marketing Optimisation for Online Retailers. The focus in the session will about what marketing optimisation can do for retailers, helping to personalise the customer experience and boost performance against key KPIs. Find out more here.
Finally, on April 30, Stibo Systems and Bazaarvoice join forces for a webinar on Staying relevant: creating a personal shopping experience that drives sales. In the 11am webinar, speakers Aurelien Dubot, product marketing manager EMEA at Bazaarvoice, and Simon Walker, director, ecommerce innovation, Stibo Systems, will discuss why it’s so important that retailers focus on their customers as they create shopping experiences that reflect both shoppers’ feedback and needs. They’ll be considering how to harness and learn from social data. To find out more about the webinar and to register for free, click here.
Today’s stories
B&Q owner invests in an omnichannel future
New marketplace for pop-up shops launches to serve a changing high street
Nightline expands locker bank network in response to demand from professionals
eBay aims to boost customer service through new standards for sellers
Vouchercloud expands into fourth international market
Blockbuster UK’s new private equity owners promise new life for ‘high street staple’
